New figures from the US Hide Skin and Leather Association (USHSLA) show that, in the first 11 months of 2016, exports of fresh and wet-salted bovine hides from the US increased in volume by 11.4% year on year, but declined in value by 7.3%.

Between January and November last year, packers and traders shipped USD19.6 million fresh hides to tanners overseas, bringing in revenues of just under USD1.3 billion. For the same months in 2015, the corresponding figures were USD17.6 million in volume and just under USD1.4 billion in value.

For wet blue, the figures show a year-on-year decline in volume 14.6% and a fall in value of 21.7% in value. The figures for January-November 2016 show exports of just under 6 million wet blue hides for revenues of almost 550 million. These compare to figures of just under 7 million wet blue hides and revenues of USD702.5 million for the same months in 2015.